So, I have been a good boy, been saving my money, not buying anything new but had to be patient. I received my grail a while back and did a review on it:

Introduction and specifications.

I met Des Horn (http://www.deshorn.com/) back in 2010 and his design and philosophy of knives always appealed to me “A knife is first and foremost a working tool, and a custom knife, whether practical, collectable or artistic in its nature should support this principle.”
Winning numerous awards from Germany, Finland, Switzerland, USA and South Africa and being in the industry for a long time my curiosity and fascination grew.

Yes my knife collection went in a different direction for a while and then I finally decided to pull the trigger.

Therefore, introducing my grail…the Imvubu.









• Blade Length: approx. 4 inch
• Cutting edge: 3.687 inches (94mm). Same as Spyderco Military
• Blade Thickness: 4mm
• Length closed: 4.812 inches (122mm). Same as Spyderco Para Military
• Weight: 3.67 ounce (104g)
• Handle: Black Site Carbon Fiber
• Lock: Liner Lock

Imvubu magic

• Steel: Nitrobe 77.



Info:


Video of Des using the steel:


Additional info:

The original idea was to use NITROBE 77 at motor manufacturing of blades for cutters and blades for kitchen machines type blender. Samples were sent to producers in Europe, which in a few months, almost unanimously said they were extremely impressed with the durability of the blade, and that usually is 3 times higher than that of any stainless steel used in their production today. However, heat treatment is too complicated for them and they also prefer to buy 3 blades of conventional stainless steel than one of NITROBE 77 <...> This steel has virtually no carbon (0.1%), which was replaced with nitrogen at 0.9%. It absolutely does not rust and the knife can be put in the dishwasher! The most impressive feature is the NITROBE 77 is its "superrezuchest" because smaller molecules than in steel RWL-34. The main difficulty in the manufacture of steel NITROBE 77 is its heat treatment, which includes a series of four cryogenic quenching in liquid nitrogen at a heating temperature were 1100 ° C and 3-times at intervals of 1 hour for the holidays began at 480 ° C. NITROBE 77 shows the greatest potential for using it as a knife blade. I used a lot of different steels to produce their knives, but 77 NITROBE much sharper and tougher than any steel I've ever used ... "
Knife weight only 30 grams, so it could well be classified as "EDC" (Every Day Carry) - «for everyday wear

Source: http://www.bladeart.ru/exclusive-knive/goods_353.html(used google translate and yes, there did get some data lost in translation)

I believe it should be mentioned. This is not marketed as a high wear resistant steel, rather, the steel has high stain resistance, due to having almost no carbon, good edge stability, strength and toughness. This combination, though it is not a high wear resistant steel, should give it good edge holding characteristics

Initial impressions:

• Deep hollow grind (approximately 5 degrees per side and the hollow drops below that and this is considered a rather strong (thicker than normal) edge).
• 15degree per side edge. Less than 1mm (0.039 of an inch) wide.
• Highly polished edge (mirror finish, though Des Horn did mention he prefers a more toothy edge. I believe Des sharpens the knives by hand).


[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2013/DSCF3042_zps4d201241.jpg[/img]

• Grip is surprising as it has some traction to it.
• Contoured grip and lack of pocket clip feels great.

[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2013/DSCF3122_zps8e608332.jpg[/img]

• No real curves to the handle shape, personal preference that I tend to prefer.

[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2013/DSCF3117_zps6bbb4d80.jpg[/img]

• Lip opening, another personal preference.
• Jimping is in a nice 3-gap-3 type pattern. Gives good traction.

[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2013/DSCF3118_zpsf2cd2c02.jpg[/img]

• Details on the screws for the handle are something I like. To my knowledge Des hand mills everything himself.

[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2013/DSCF3110_zpsda771ce7.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2013/DSCF3124_zps91b3b478.jpg[/img]

• Lanyard hole is big, no one should have an issue getting any type of cord through there.

[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2013/DSCF3123_zpsb5fb607c.jpg[/img]

• Not a flow through construction, once again, I like that.

[img]http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s90/geronki/2013/DSCF3112_zps3487d5b8.jpg[/img]

• Cant adjust the pivot from what I can tell, but the action is that smooth hydraulic feel.
• Solid lockup.
• Silicon Nitride (Ceramic?) ball detent.
• Hand rubbed satin finish is even and looks great to the eye.

No photos of the knife before use. The above I took with the review.

Stock testing:

• Initial sharpness is very high.
• Pushcuts newsprint at 90 degrees
• Shaves arm, beard and head hair &#61514; in either direction – no burr on edge

Video of some use and some thoughts (it is a long video guys and the sound quality did suffer a bit):

Lengthy video of me using the knife.



To recap:
• The knife is pleasing to the eye and cuts well with little hotspots
• Edge shows minimal to no edge deformation (rolling or chipping) after extended use
• The shaving sharp edge was lost after abrasive use through cardboard
• The slight drop in the blade making it lower than the handle, similar to that of a Spyderco Military.
• Did not crack open hard food such as apples, potatoes etc. Clean cuts.
• Though I tried to compare it to H1 (corrosion resistance) it dawned on me that Nitrobe 77 “feels” on the stones like 52100. Imagine something like 52100 and H1 had a love child.
• Ease of sharpening is high. Sharpens very similar to 52100

Now, it is due to my uses that I have concluded minimum edge thickness and minimum edge angle will give you maximum cutting ability/ease of sharpening/minimum fatigue/maximum control/ maximum pleasure and comfort when doing my specific chores. However, there is some balance that I want between the above mentioned performance and coolness factor. I enjoy a high performing knife, but I can also appreciate a craftsmanship piece.

I believe the Imvubu, for me is the balance I want.